    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
    [October 28, 2004]
    [Pages 2783-2791]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in Saginaw, Michigan
    October 28, 2004

        The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming out to say hello. I
    got to tell me, you have lifted my spirits, for which I am grateful.
    It's good to be back in Saginaw. I'm grateful so many of you came out to
    say hello.
        Listen, I'm traveling your State asking for the vote and asking for
    your help. It is close to voting day. We have a duty in

    [[Page 2784]]

    our country to vote. In our free land, free citizens must vote. And so
    I'm asking you to get your friends and neighbors to go to the polls,
    turn out our fellow Republicans, find independents who understand we
    have a better tomorrow ahead of us, and don't overlook discerning
    Democrats. Tell your fellow citizens that if they want a safer country,
    a stronger country, and a better country, to put me and Dick
    Cheney back in office.
        My only regret is that Laura is not here to
    see this fantastic crowd. She headed off to campaign today in Florida.
    You know, when I asked her to marry me, she said, ``I'll marry you, but
    make me a promise.'' I said, ``What is it?'' She said, ``Promise me I
    will never have to give a political speech.'' [Laughter] I'm sure some
    of you can relate to that. I said, ``Okay, you got a deal.''
    Fortunately, she didn't hold me to that deal. She is giving a lot of
    speeches, and when she does, the American people see a strong,
    compassionate, great First Lady. Perhaps the most important reason why
    people ought to put me back in office is so that Laura will be the First
    Lady for 4 more years.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. I am proud of my runningmate, Dick Cheney. He is doing a great job. Although, I admit, he does not
    have the waviest hair in the race. [Laughter] You will be pleased I
    didn't pick him because of his hairdo. I picked him because of his
    experience. I picked him because of his judgment. I picked him because
    he can get the job done for the American people.
        I'm proud to call Dave Camp my friend, and I
    know you're proud to call him Congressman. And I want to thank Terri
    Lynn Land for joining us, the secretary of
    state for the great State of Michigan. And I wish Myrah
    Kirkwood all the best in her run for the
    United States Congress. I want to thank Betsy DeVos and all the grassroots activists who are here. I want to
    thank the Saline Fiddlers. I want to thank the Saginaw Area Band. I want
    to thank the Wil Gravatt Band for joining us.
    Thank you for entertaining this good crowd.
        Most of all, I want to thank you all. I want to thank you for what
    you have done on behalf of my candidacy and what you're going to do. By
    working the phones, by getting people to--by reminding people of their
    duty to vote, by putting up the signs, by turning out that vote, there
    is no doubt in my mind, we will carry Michigan and win a great victory
    in November.
        Five days from now, the people go to the polls. We are choosing the
    leader of our country at a time of great consequence to our Nation.
    We're at war against a terrorist enemy unlike any we have ever seen. We
    have much more to do to win a decisive victory against the terrorists.
    The most important duty of the American President is to protect the
    American people. If America shows uncertainty or weakness in these
    troubling times, the world will drift toward tragedy. This will not
    happen on my watch.
        Our economy is in the midst of change and challenge. It can be a
    great time of opportunity if we have the right policies that strengthen
    rather than stall our economic growth. We have much more to do to create
    jobs, to improve our children's education, to make health care available
    and affordable, and to strengthen Social Security for our seniors and
    for generations to come. And I am ready for the job.
        My years as your President have confirmed some lessons and have
    taught me some new ones. A President must have a vision. A President
    must set goals and bring people together to achieve those goals. A
    President must surround himself with strong, capable people. And I have
    done so. A President must make America's priorities crystal-clear in
    this uncertain world. I've learned to expect the unexpected, because
    history can deliver sudden horror from a soft autumn sky. I found you
    better know what you believe or risk being tossed

    [[Page 2785]]

    to-and-fro by the flattery of friends or the chorus of the critics.
        I've been grateful for the lessons I have learned from my parents:
    Respect every person; do your best; and live every day to its fullest. I
    have been strengthened by my faith and humbled by its reminder that my
    life is part of a much bigger story. I've learned firsthand how hard it
    is to send young men and women into battle, even when the cause is
    right. I've been reminded that the world looks to America for leadership
    and that it is crucial for an American President to be consistent.
        Perhaps most of all, I've learned the American President must make
    decisions on principle, core convictions from which you must not waver.
    The issues vary; the challenges are different every day. Tactics and
    strategy must be flexible, but a President's convictions must be steady
    and true. As Presidents from Abraham Lincoln to Franklin Roosevelt to
    Ronald Reagan so clearly demonstrated, a President cannot blow in the
    wind. A President has to make tough decisions and stand by them.
        A President must follow the--must not follow the path of the latest
    polls. A President must lead based on conviction and conscience.
    Especially in a time of war, mixed signals only confuse our friends,
    embolden our enemies. Mixed signals are the wrong signals for the
    American President to send.
        When America chooses a President, you choose not just a set of
    positions on issues or a philosophy or record; you choose a human being
    who comes with strengths and weaknesses. One of the things I've learned
    about the Presidency is, whatever your strengths are, you're going to
    need them, and whatever your shortcomings are, people are going to
    notice them. Sometimes I'm a little too blunt. I get that from my
    mother. Sometimes I mangle the English
    language. [Laughter] I get that from my dad. [Laughter] But Americans have learned that when you
    disagree with me, at least you know what I believe and where I stand.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. You cannot say that about my opponent. [Laughter] Senator Kerry has taken a lot of different
    positions, but he rarely takes a stand. He's run a campaign of
    contradictions. I think it's fair to say consistency is not the
    Senator's strong suit. [Laughter] He was for the PATRIOT Act and the No
    Child Left Behind Act, until he was against key provisions of both of
    them. He voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq and then said I was
    wrong to use that force.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. When I sent troops into Iraq to remove Saddam
    Hussein from power, he said it was the right decision. Now he says it was the
    ``wrong war.''
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. During one of our debates, he said Saddam Hussein was a
    threat. And then a couple of answers later, he said there was no threat
    in Iraq.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Just last year, American troops in Afghanistan and
    Iraq needed $87 billion for body armor, hazard pay, vehicles, weapons,
    and bullets--necessary funding, funding that would keep a commitment we
    have made to our soldiers and their loved ones. They will have what is
    necessary to complete their mission. Something the veterans in this
    crowd understand, the Government must support those in harm's way. And I
    say thanks to our veterans from the bottom of a grateful heart.
        Back to the 87 billion. First Senator Kerry said, ``It would be irresponsible to vote against the
    troops.'' That's what he said on TV, national TV. Then he did the
    irresponsible thing and voted against the funding for our troops.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Now, they asked him about
    that vote, and you might remember perhaps the most famous quote of the
    2004

    [[Page 2786]]

    campaign when he said, ``I actually did vote for the 87 billion, before
    I voted against it.'' Pressed further to explain his vote, he's given
    several explanations. One of the most interesting was this: ``The whole
    thing was a complicated matter.'' [Laughter] There's nothing complicated
    about supporting our troops in combat.
        You have to wonder why my opponent has
    taken such different positions at different places and different times
    in this campaign. I think you'll find two reasons why. Senator Kerry
    changes positions because he's willing to say anything he thinks will
    help him politically at the time. And he does so to try to obscure a 20-
    year record, 20 years of out-of-the-mainstream votes. That leads to an
    inescapable conclusion. Senator Kerry has been wrong--on the wrong side
    of the defining national security and domestic policy debates for the
    last two decades. He can run from his record, but he cannot hide.
        Several times during the course of this campaign, the Senator has changed his positions for political convenience.
    The Senator recognized Saddam Hussein was a
    threat and authorized force to remove him, until his Democratic opponent
    Howard Dean began gaining ground as an antiwar
    candidate. And then he decided he had to appeal to that wing of his
    party, so he voted against the troops--after voting to put them at risk
    in the first place. See, he looked at the polls and changed positions.
    The Senator was all for removing Saddam Hussein when we went into
    Baghdad. He was very supportive when we captured him. After all, the
    polls showed that that was very popular at the time. When the going got
    tough and when we faced determined opposition and things weren't quite
    so popular, the Senator suddenly wasn't quite so supportive. In fact, he
    changed his mind entirely, deciding it was the ``wrong war at the wrong
    place at the wrong time.''
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. It's important for the citizens of Michigan to think
    about this. What does that lack of conviction say to our troops who are
    risking their lives in a vital cause? What does it say to our allies who
    have joined us in that cause? What does that lack of conviction signal
    to our enemies, that if you make things uncomfortable, if you stir up
    trouble, John Kerry will back off? And that's
    a very dangerous signal to send during this time.
        This week Senator Kerry is again attacking
    the actions of our military in Iraq, with complete disregard for the
    facts. Senator Kerry will say anything to get elected. The Senator's
    willingness to trade principle for political convenience makes it clear
    that John Kerry is the wrong man for the wrong job at the wrong time.
        And there's another reason the Senator
    changes positions. He doesn't want you to know where he really stands.
    [Laughter] He doesn't want you to know where he stands on national
    security, because he has a record of weakness. When Ronald Reagan was
    confronting the Soviet Union at the height of the cold war, Senator
    Kerry proposed cancellation of critical defense weapons systems and said
    that President Reagan's policy of peace through strength was making
    America less safe.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. History has shown that Senator Kerry was wrong and President Ronald Reagan was right.
        Former President Bush led a coalition
    against Saddam Hussein in 1991. Senator
    Kerry voted against using force to liberate
    Kuwait. If his view had prevailed, Saddam Hussein today would dominate
    the Middle East, possess the world's most dangerous weapons. History has
    shown that John Kerry was wrong and former President Bush was right.
        In 1994, just one year after the first bombing of the World Trade
    Center, Senator Kerry proposed massive cuts in
    America's intelligence budgets, cuts so extreme that even his
    Massachusetts colleague, Ted

    [[Page 2787]]

    Kennedy, opposed them. History has shown
    that Senator Kerry was wrong and--we have got to be fair--Senator
    Kennedy was right. [Laughter]
        When you are one Senator among 100, you can be wrong without
    consequence. But the President's opinion decides the security and the
    fate of our country. And while the Senator's
    20-year record of votes is long, it's also lacking of significant reform
    or achievement. He talks about bringing new allies to the war against
    terror--if somehow countries that have not yet been involved might want
    to join what he calls the ``wrong war.'' [Laughter] Yet he has no
    history of convincing even his colleagues in the United States Senate to
    join him on signature reforms or achievements.
        The next 4 years, I will work with our friends and allies. We will
    strengthen our coalition, but I will never turn over America's national
    security decisions to leaders of other countries.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. The security of our country is at stake. Senator
    Kerry says September the 11th, in his words,
    ``did not change him much at all.'' That's what he said.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. And his policies make that clear. The Senator says the war on terror is primarily a law enforcement
    and intelligence gathering operation. He says his goal is to go back to
    the days of the 1990s when terrorism was seen as a ``nuisance''----
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. ----fought with subpoenas and cruise missiles.
        Well, September the 11th changed my outlook for the world. It made
    it crystal-clear to me the dangers we face. A few days after the
    attacks, I went to Ground Zero, September 14th, 2001. I stood in the
    ruins of the Twin Towers. It's a day I will never forget. The sights and
    sounds of that day are always in my mind. Workers in hardhats there
    yelling at the top of their lungs, ``Whatever it takes.'' A man coming
    out of the rubble grabbed me by the arm. He looked me in the eye, and he
    said, ``Do not let me down.'' Ever since that day, I wake up every
    morning thinking how to--thinking about how to better protect our
    country. I will never relent in defending America, whatever it takes.
        There are other things about his views and his ideas the
    Senator really doesn't want you to know about.
    You might remember the debate when they asked him about his health care
    plan. He looked straight in the camera and said, ``The Government
    doesn't have anything to do with it.'' I could barely contain myself.
    [Laughter]
        The Government has got a lot to do with it. Eighty percent of the
    people end up, under his idea, on a Government
    plan. When you increase Medicaid eligibility, it means small businesses
    will likely stop writing insurance because the Government will provide
    the insurance. That moves people from the private sector to the public
    sector when it comes to health care. And see, when the Government starts
    paying the money, the Government starts writing the rules. And when the
    Government starts writing the rules when it comes to your health care,
    the Government starts making decisions for you and decisions for your
    doctors and rationing care. Senator Kerry's plan for health care for
    America is the wrong prescription.
        We will make health care more affordable and available for our
    citizens. We will expand community health centers to help the poor and
    the indigent. We'll make sure our program for low-income children is
    fully subscribed. We'll expand health savings accounts to help our
    businesses and families with innovative ways to manage--so you can
    manage your own health care account. We understand small businesses
    provide important insurance to the workers, and yet, many small
    businesses are having trouble affording health care, so we'll allow

    [[Page 2788]]

    small businesses to join together so they can buy insurance at the same
    discounts that big companies are able to do.
        And we understand that these frivolous lawsuits are running up the
    cost of health care for small businesses, for patients, and they're
    running good doctors out of practice. You cannot be pro-doctor, pro-
    patient and pro-personal-injury-trial-lawyer at the same time. You have
    to make a choice. My opponent made his choice,
    and he put a personal-injury trial lawyer on
    the ticket.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. I made my choice. I'm standing with the doctors of
    Michigan. I'm standing with the patients of Michigan. I am for medical
    liability reform--now.
        This campaign, the Senator doesn't want
    you to know where he really stands on taxes. He's going to raise them.
    To be fair, raising taxes is one of the few things that he's been
    consistent about. You might say he's made a habit out of it. See, he's
    been in the United States Senate 20 years, and he's voted to raise taxes
    98 times. That's five times for every year he's been in the Senate. I'd
    call it a predictable pattern, an early-warning indicator. [Laughter]
        You know, when we reduced the taxes for our families by raising the
    child credit and doing something about the marriage penalty, he voted against it. He voted against that tax relief at
    a vital time. Plus, he's decided to raise $2.2 trillion* in new Federal
    spending. He's going to spend it. That's what he said. He said, ``I'm
    going to spend 2.2 trillion new money,'' when you add up all his
    promises. He doesn't really want to clarify that. That's 2.2 trillion
    with a ``T.'' That's a lot. That is a lot even for a Senator from
    Massachusetts. [Laughter]
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        *White House correction.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        And so they asked him, ``How are you going
    to pay for it?'' They said, ``How are you going to pay for it?'' He
    said, ``Oh, I'm just going to tax the rich.'' Now, people in Saginaw,
    Michigan, have heard that before. You see, if you raise the top two
    brackets, it raises 600 to 800 billion dollars. That is short of the 2.2
    trillion. That's called a tax gap. [Laughter] And guess who usually has
    to fill that tax gap?
        Audience member. We do!
        The President. Yes, you do. The good news is, we're not going to let
    him tax you; we're going to carry Michigan and
    win a victory.
        No, the Senator doesn't really want to
    talk about his record, and there is a reason why. There is a mainstream
    in American politics, and he sits on the far left bank. I'm a
    compassionate conservative and proudly so. I'm more than happy to travel
    our country talking about my record, talking about a record that has
    made America a stronger place and a safer place and a better place.
        When you're rounding up the vote, remind people what this economy
    has been through. Six months prior to my arrival in Washington, the
    stock market was in serious decline, which foretold a recession. And
    then we had some corporate scandals, passed--we passed tough laws, and
    we have made it abundantly clear that we're not going to tolerate
    dishonesty in the boardrooms of America. And then the attacks came, and
    they cost us about a million jobs in the 3 months after September the
    11th.
        But we acted. I led the Congress to cut the taxes on the American
    people to encourage consumption and investment, to stimulate the small-
    business sector of our economy. And our policies are paying off. We're
    growing at rates as fast as any in nearly 20 years. We have added 1.9
    million jobs in the last 13 months. The farmers in Michigan are making a
    living. The small-business owners are alive and well. The
    entrepreneurial spirit is strong. The homeownership rate in America is
    at an alltime high. More minorities own a home than ever before in our
    Nation's history. The national unemployment rate is 5.4 percent. Let me
    put that in perspective for you:

    [[Page 2789]]

    That is lower than the average rate of the 1970s and the 1980s and the
    1990s.
        I understand there are some people hurting in Michigan, but that's
    not a reason to go back to tax and spend. The best way to make sure
    people can find work is to continue to promote a pro-growth, pro-
    entrepreneur, pro-small-business economic policy, which is what we have
    done. Our economy is strong, and it is getting stronger.
        When I ran--when I was running for President 4 years ago, I promised
    to do something about the public schools. I told the American people I
    was troubled by a system that would shuffle children through, grade
    after grade, year after year, without teaching the basics. I call that
    the soft bigotry of low expectations. So I promised to reform our
    system. I kept my word. We've increased spending, particularly for
    minority students and poor students. But in return, we've now said,
    ``Show us whether or not a child can read and write and add and
    subtract.'' See, you can't solve a problem until you diagnose the
    problem. And as a result of the system in place, the system that says
    we're going to set high standards for every child, we're diagnosing
    problems and we're solving them. Math and reading scores are up across
    this country. We are closing an achievement gap for minority students.
    And we're not going to go back to the days of mediocrity and excuses for
    failure in our public schools.
        When I ran for President 4 years ago, I promised to improve Medicare
    by adding prescription drugs. I kept my word. You might remember the old
    Medicare debates. They would call it ``Medi-scare'' because politicians
    wouldn't talk about it. I came to Washington to solve problems. We had a
    problem in Medicare. Medicare would pay thousands of dollars for the
    heart surgery but not one dime for the prescription drugs that could
    prevent the heart surgery from being needed in the first place. Now
    we've strengthened Medicare. We've modernized Medicare. Beginning in
    2006, all seniors will be able to get prescription drug coverage under
    Medicare.
        My opponent voted against that bill that
    provided prescription drug coverage for our seniors----
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. ----even though AARP and other senior groups
    supported it. As your President the next 4 years, I will defend the
    reforms we put in place for our seniors. We will keep our promise to
    America's seniors with modern medicine.
        When I ran for President, I said we would help those who need help
    in America, we would help those who could not help themselves. I said
    Government should not discriminate against faith-based and community
    groups who provide compassionate care for the broken heart. And now our
    Government welcomes those groups as partners in meeting the needs of
    those who need hope and those who need help.
        I said we would help the poor and the indigent with health care, and
    we've expanded community health centers all across this country, and we
    will continue to do so. We've doubled funding for medical research into
    new cures and diseases, just like I said I would do during the campaign.
    As we pursued threats around the world, as we have used our might to
    protect ourselves and to protect others, we have also delivered American
    compassion. We've dramatically increased funding to combat AIDS and to
    help developing countries who are making good governance decisions and
    investing in their future.
        We're pursuing a forward strategy of freedom around the world. We're
    promoting democracy. I want you to tell your children about what has
    taken place in a brief period of time in this world. You know, it wasn't
    all that long ago that young girls couldn't go to school in Afghanistan
    because the country was run by ideologues of hate called the Taliban.
    And if their mothers didn't toe the line, they would be pulled into the
    public squares and whipped and sometimes shot in a sports stadium.

    [[Page 2790]]

    They were backward. The society was grim and dark. Because we acted to
    defend ourselves, because we upheld the doctrine that said, ``If you
    harbor a terrorist, you're equally as guilty as the terrorist,''
    millions of people in Afghanistan went to the polls to vote for a
    President. And the first voter was a 19-year-old woman.
        There will be elections in Iraq in January. Think how far that
    society has come from the days of torture chambers and mass graves.
    Freedom is on the march. Liberty will transform societies. I believe
    everybody yearns to be free. I believe this not because freedom is
    America's gift to the world, I believe this because freedom is the
    Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this world.
        The role of a President is to confront problems, not to pass them on
    to future generations and future Presidents. That is how I have led, and
    that is how I will continue to lead our great Nation. We will keep your
    taxes low so this economy continues to grow. We will work on the
    education reforms and take them to our high schools. We will expand Pell
    grants for low- and middle-income families so more of our children can
    start their career with a college degree. We'll make sure that health
    decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by officials in
    Washington, DC.
        We'll keep the promise of Social Security for our seniors. You might
    remember the 2000 campaign. Perhaps the same thing is happening in this
    campaign. It's kind of the old, tired scare tactics. They said, ``If
    George W. gets elected, our seniors aren't going to get their checks.''
    That's what they said 4 years ago. Please tell your friends and
    neighbors, George W. did get elected, and our seniors did get their
    checks. Our seniors will continue to get their checks. Baby boomers like
    me and a couple others out there I see--we're in pretty good shape when
    it comes to the Social Security trust.
        But we need to worry about our children and our grandchildren. We
    need to worry about whether or not a--Social Security will be available
    for them when they retire. I believe younger workers ought to be able to
    take some of their payroll taxes and set up a personal savings account,
    a personal savings account that earns a better rate of return than the
    Social Security trust, an account they call their own, an account the
    Government cannot take away.
        Over the next 4 years, I'm going to work with Republicans and
    Democrats to do something about the Tax Code. It is a complicated mess.
    It is a million pages long. We need to make the Tax Code easier to
    understand and more fair for the American people.
        Over the next 4 years, I will defend the values that are important
    for our families and our Nation. Marriage and family are the foundations
    of our society, and we will keep them strong. I believe that this
    society must promote a culture of life. I was proud to sign the ban on
    partial-birth abortion. I stand and will continue to stand for the
    appointment of Federal judges who know the difference between personal
    opinion and the strict interpretation of the law.
        My opponent and I differ on these issues.
    Look at his record. He voted against the Defense of Marriage Act and
    voted against the ban on partial-birth abortion.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. He said he--he said there
    would be a litmus test for his judges. And at one point in this
    campaign, he said that you can find the heart and soul of America in
    Hollywood.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. The heart and soul of America is found in caring
    communities like Saginaw, Michigan.
        Now, I'm looking forward to the rest of this campaign. I like
    talking about what we have done to make it clear to the American people
    I intend to do what I say I'm going to do during the next 4 years. I got
    a hopeful vision for this country. I see a better day coming. That
    stands in contrast with my opponent, who has
    offered a long

    [[Page 2791]]

    litany of complaints without a significant record.
        One of my favorite quotes that I hope helps you understand how I
    feel about our great country comes from a fellow Texan named Tom
    Lea. He said, ``Sarah and I live on the east
    side of the mountain. It's the sunrise side, not the sunset side. It is
    the side to see the day that is coming, not to see the day that is
    gone.'' During the course of this campaign, my opponent has spent much time talking about the day that is gone.
    I'm talking about the day that is coming.
        I see a prosperous America where people are able to realize their
    dreams. I see an education system that challenges our children so that
    no child is left behind. I see a compassionate health care system run by
    you, where doctors aren't being sued every day. I see a world that is
    free and therefore peaceful. I see the peace that we all long for our
    children and our grandchildren.
        When I traveled your State 4 years ago, I made you this pledge, that
    if I was elected, I would uphold the honor and the dignity of the
    office. With your help and with your hard work, I will do so for 4 more
    years.
        Thanks for coming. God bless. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:16 a.m. at the Dow Event Center. In his
    remarks, he referred to Myrah Kirkwood, candidate in Michigan's Fifth
    Congressional District; Betsy DeVos, chairman, Michigan Republican
    Party; the Saline Fiddlers, a student musical group from Saline High
    School, Saline, MI; and former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.